NEWS

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Keene corner infielder Nathaniel Eikhoff (Virginia) and Valley right-hander Tyler Smith (Canisius) have been named the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for their efforts on the diamond in Week 2 of the 2017 season.

One week after teammate and right-handed pitcher Tim Elliott earned top pitcher honors for the opening week of the NECBL season, Eikoff took home top player accolades for Keene. He posted a pair of four-hit games as part of a 10-hit week to pace the Swamp Bats’ offense. He shared the NECBL lead in total hits last week with the aforementioned 10 while he also drove in a league-best seven runs while scoring two himself. In addition to those marks, Eikhoff also went 3-for-3 on the bases and struck out just twice while adding a double and batting .455 (10-22) in that span.

As a freshman at Virginia, Eikhoff started in 22 of the 44 games he played in while posting a .321 on-base percentage and a .441 slugging percentage with 17 RBIs. 

A rising senior at Canisius, Smith was among the most-used pitchers last week for the Blue Sox after making three appearances – one shy of the league-high among all pitchers since last Monday. But it was what Smith was able to do in that span that secured his top pitcher recognition.

The right-hander took to the rubber in three save situations last week and converted all of them, entering contests with no more than a two-run lead and absolutely dominating each time. He racked up a whopping 10 strikeouts – one why of the league lead – in only 3-1/3 innings. He did not allow a single hit or walk in that span and the only batters to reach were the results of a dropped third strike and a fielding error. Those three saves helped Valley secure three of their five victories last week, extending their winning streak to six in the process.

Smith’s late-game dominance should come as no surprise after his incredible junior year at Canisius; in 22 appearances, he finished with 11 saves, a 0.30 ERA and 43 strikeouts compared to 18 walks in 29-2/3 innings.

The NECBL congrats both players on their accomplishments.

2017 NECBL Weekly Awards Archive
Week 1 – Venuto (Plymouth)/Elliott (Keene)

Week 1 Honor Roll

Cameron Aldred (Upper Valley/Cincinnati) – Went the distance in a seven-inning doubleheader complete game victory in which he struck out six, walked one and allowed just one hit against 23 batters.

Luke Bakula (New Bedford/Kansas) – Ranked tied for first last week with 10 hits and finished with a solid .385 batting average (10-26) while also scoring four runs and drilling two doubles and a triple while driving in five more. He hit safely in all five games he played in and recorded three two-hit games and another three-hit performance.

William Chillari (New Bedford/Duke) – Pitched to 6-2/3 innings of scoreless relief in which he fanned eight and worked around four walks and four hits.

Koby Claborn (Winnipesaukee/Abilene Christian) – Was one of the top offensive players last week with a league-best two home runs and .563 batting average, finishing with nine hits, four runs, a double and three RBIs. He hit safely in all four games he played in while notching two three-hit games and another two-hit outing.

Hunter Edwards (Winnipesaukee/Houston) – Pitched 5-1/3 scoreless frames while picking up a save with seven strikeouts and only two hits yielded in that span. Also walked none in those two relief appearances.

Cory Gill (Upper Valley/Troy) – Picked up three saves to share the league lead in that category as part of four scoreless relief outings. In four scoreless innings, gave up only two hits and one walk while fanning six to help Upper Valley pick up four of its seven victories on the week.

Anthony Godino (Upper Valley/Wagner) – Shared the league lead with seven RBIs and two home runs while hitting .375 (6-for-16) and scoring four runs to help the Nighthawks extend their league-best winning streak to eight games. He had three two-hit games in that span.

Charlie Jerla (Danbury/Marist) – Pitched 8-2/3 scoreless innings over two appearances – one start – while fanning six. Worked around five hits and four walks in that span.  

Braxton Morris (Valley/Morehead State) – Hit safely in four out of five games and recorded two hits in each of those four games, finishing the week with a .444 average (8-18), three runs and two RBIs. Was also a perfect 3-for-3 on the bases.

Andrew Rouse (Valley/Marist) – One of the top offensive catalysts last week, finished with six runs – one shy of the league lead – while adding nine hits to the cause to bat just over .400 on the week. He also contributed a home run and three RBIs while hitting safely in four out of five contests.

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The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. Partially funded by Major League Baseball, the NECBL started play in 1994 and has sent over 130 alumni to the Major Leagues. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on Twitter and on Facebook